Stealth Part 10
by Wayne7793
Summary: As the story continues, the trio heads to Arizona with Felicia and they discover a new beginning!


**CHAPTER 42**

While on the run again, Stealth looked back at Inara and smiled, she was keeping up better! Her training was helping her with her agility and movement from building to building. He would have to give her a pat on the back later for her improving abilities. He kept up with Felicia and they stopped long enough to see if they were still being chased.

Inara caught her breath, "Is Darin ok? I need to see him!!" Felicia opened her side and Inara stepped in to check on him. He was sleeping heavily but breathing ok. She checked his stats and breathed a sigh of relief, "Thank you, Felicia, you're awesome!" and patted the inside wall of the airlift. It shuddered and purred, making Inara smile as she stepped out. Stealth looked around, "No sign of further pursuit. We're safe for now."

Inara hugged the big man, "Thank you, for making me stronger and tougher, as well as… just being you, inside…" she whispered the last part, "…david…" and he smiled and looked down at her, "You're very welcome, sidekick Inara." And she looked up and liked the sound of that. "I'm your sidekick?!?" She almost cried in joy! Inara backed off and sat for a moment, letting this all soak in. Stealth lost the change, shrinking for now.

David sat down next to her, "We'd best move soon. They'll be hunting for us, for stealing Darin and for you, as well, for that bounty on top of everything. I'm sorry I dragged you into all this!" David looked sad, but Inara nodded, "NO! Look, I asked to be hunted this time, ok? You helped me kill the person who killed my parents, but I gave that fucker a chance to surrender, thanks to Felicia, who is now keeping my lover alive, I cannot thank you enough!" and she hugged David again, and didn't let go for about 5 minutes. Inara cried and sobbed, "Th-thank you so-o much…"

CHAPTER 43

The two left soon, heading out of town quickly. Felicia morphed into a larger jet-like ship and Inara and David boarded. They quickly got all their gear and left Somalian air space, heading for Albania. Inara kind of wondered about whether Felicia would attract attention and David asked Felicia and she merely replied "I have fake signatures I constantly transmit to fool the landing towers and radar stations to think I'm a normal aircraft." Inara was impressed!

They soon reached Northern Albania and Inara stayed by Darin's side. He was in and out of sleep as he got used to be moving around. David checked the stats but Felicia reminded him she would keep track of that, they had to trust her. Inara smiled, "What other things can you become?" Felicia chimed back "I'm not sure, maybe hundreds of simple and combined machines and it's possible other animal forms, but I prefer the panther!" Inara chuckled, "You're amazing…" and lay down in a comfortable black seat and got some sleep.

They landed about 10:30 am local time and rested. David was asleep when Darin woke up again, thrashing and moaning. Inara popped up and went to him. He was delirious until she settled him down with her sexy voice, "I'm here, honey… shhhh.. it'll be ok, just rest." And Darin soon fell asleep again. Felicia spoke before Inara could ask, "His injuries are healing nicely but he has sustained some chemical damage that is down at the cellular level. I cannot determine the medium to long-term effects at this time, but please let him rest in my care, unless you'd like him to stay at another hospital." Inara thought, "Well, you are doing a good job, I think. Um, can he stay in here for a few more days, will that be ok with you?" Felicia responded, "Sure, anything, my friend. I can stay in this form for as long as she needs." Inara smiled and fell asleep again.

CHAPTER 44

Darin woke up groggy but better. David noticed him stirring and tapped Inara on the arm. She got up, rubbing her eyes, "Where are we?" and noticed Darin as well and ran over to him. He looked at her, "Where am I?" and she smiled, "You're safe, snugglebuns!" He giggled, "Awww, look at how pretty and strong you are now, you look like an older version of the little girl in my dreams!" She blushed, "Nah, I'm all dirty and sweaty. Are you feeling better?" Darin looked around, "I am a little hungry, are we on a plane?" Inara smiled and David asked Felicia to land near a restaurant. They found a new Taco Bell that just opened in northern Algeria.

David looked around outside, it was a quiet gloomy morning, fog rolling in from the south, "What does everyone want?" Inara asked her guy, and relayed his order, "Sorry, they don't have cheeseburgers here, it's a taco joint." David chuckled, "How about a chicken Quesadilla?" Darin started drooling, "I'll take two, please!" and everyone laughed, "No, really, I'm starving!!", so Inara went with David and they ordered 3 chicken Quesadillas and 2 chilitos, along with a Coke and diet root beer, and a Sprite for Darin, something light for his stomach. He was experiencing stomach cramps and gas. Felicia checked his enzyme levels, "I'm afraid his acid levels are too low, he should go with some spicy foods anyways, to induce his stomach to create more acid."

They hungrily ate while Felicia took to the skies again. Inara tapped David on the shoulder, "Does Felicia eat?" David looked at her, "Remember, she has the power of a sun, she never needs to eat regular food." And winked. Inara giggled, "Oh, yeah, sorry…" and blushed, remembering how powerful and alien David's true love was.

CHAPTER 45

They entered Northern Algeria's final border when Felicia picked up some odd transmissions, "I located some more members of the Quasi-Labs Inc. We'll locate the source and set down nearby." David leaped out and Inara wanted to stay with Darin, "I don't think I can leave him… not now… sorry…"

David approached three scientists who were leaving for the night, "Say, do any of you know a John Freeman?" and one of the scientists, an older man, piped up, "Well, the name sounds familiar, I think he was with us over 20 years ago, why?" David asked more questions, but high security clearance kept stopping them from answering any more. Felicia's voice rang in David's head, "You're not going to find any more answers this way, sorry. Let's head to the states!"

David left the parking lot and found the black plane, purring near silent. He boarded and the sleek jet shot up and into the higher stratosphere almost instantly, causing a small shockwave, "Sorry I had to do that, we must leave this hemisphere now!" David barely strapped in as the jet hit lower orbit.

The jet came back into lower airspace over the US west coast and they rushed by California in a heartbeat. Soon, the Nevada desert spun by them at breakneck speed. David asked Felicia, "How fast are we going?" Felicia giggled, "Mach 4…" David was stunned, "Can we slow down, please? I don't want to attract attention!" Felicia did as he asked, slowing down to 450 mph, "We were never in any danger, David…" David wasn't so sure.

CHAPTER 46

They slowed down to less than 200 mph when approaching Arizona airspace. Felicia transmitted codes for allowing clearance at a runway at a small airstrip in the desert, "The missing debris from the ship is 6 miles north of here." They looked at a set of foothills in that direction. "Lead the way.." David said as Darin woke up, feeling better, "I think I can walk now, I feel ok… for now…" Inara was worried, "You better stay here in the hangar out of the sun."

Felicia changed back into panther mode, "David and I will wander up there and find the rest of the ship buried soon enough. We'll be back later today." Inara nodded and Darin sat down, asking for a drink of water, as the heat got to him. David walked next to Felicia, "You think you'll stand out here, in the open like this?" Felicia glared at David, "What's wrong with you? Don't you trust me? I can't spot any civilians between us and the location, nor any military personnel. They abandoned the search 13 years ago!"

David slumped and didn't respond. Felicia kept quiet, hoping to read his mind, but he blocked it pretty nicely, thinking about flowers and his parents, their gravesite. Felicia finally spoke up, "Look, I'm sorry all this happened! If I could go back in time, I'd gladly bring your parents back, but I don't possess that power." David finally looked at her, tears in his eyes, "I know, I'm sorry, I'm not feeling very good…"

They climbed a first set of hills, determined to find the exact location, "Why are we walking, it's so damn hot out here!" Felicia responded, "There's why!" and they almost stumbled into a hidden radar dish, half-buried in the sand, the mechanism humming. David almost tripped, "Woah, didn't see that there!" and Felicia made a side trip, going around the radar's vision.

Soon, they came to the spot, according to Felicia. She began digging feverishly, loose sand shooting out at high speed. Before long, she clanked against a metal surface, "Found it!" and activated a side door, that was well hidden in the surface of the craft. They entered and David could hardly see in front of his face, while Felicia used enhanced night-vision to spot a 3rd orb, similar to the two black spheres David and Felicia possessed. David touched it, it hummed in resonance with his heartbeat, "Wow, this feels weird, but fairly peaceful…"

CHAPTER 47

They left carefully, avoiding the radar dish again, and found Inara and Darin eating a light snack, washing it down with some iced tea, "We found it!" and David held up another orb. Darin stared at it, "What is that?" and Inara touched it lightly. It sparked and tickled her finger, "Ooh, it tingles!" and she giggled, "Is this for me?" Felicia glared at her, "I'm afraid not, my friend, but we can make something useful from this that all of us can benefit from."

Inara looked puzzled and pouted, "Shoot, I wanted your guys' powers…" Darin snickered, "I don't think you do, my dear…" and when Inara glared back at him, "How the fuck do you know what I want?!?" The limping man got up and told her, "Look, from what I've heard, you have to be inoculated with a strange serum. Both Felicia and David were, David was at the age of 4, otherwise, the power drains your life-force and leaves you dead, an empty husk." Inara gulped, "Woah…"

Felicia spoke up, "Yes, this is true. Life on this planet is not prepared to accept the change without assistance, a catalyst serum, to alter the DNA and allow the change to enhance their being, rather than absorb it!"

The four wandered farther out in the desert, Felicia now in minivan form, a strange sleek black supercharged vehicle that skimmed along the road. She soon stopped and when Inara looked out, she saw nothing out there. Not a damn thing! "Where are we?" The three got out and wandered out, while Felicia morphed back into a large panther, her green eyes barely glowing in the sunset, "David, take the new orb and place it in the ground, somewhere out there." David looked confused, "Where?" Felicia reminded him, "Doesn't matter, but at least 1000 feet from the road, ok?"

David shrugged his shoulders and walked 1/8th of a mile, then carefully set the orb down on the sandy surface. The orb sparked and went quiet, until Felicia shot a small beam of green light onto its surface. The orb melted into the ground and all hell broke loose! Massive rumblings could be felt for 25 minutes or so, then a black doorway appeared near where the orb disappeared. David looked at Inara and then at Felicia, "What happened?" Felicia mentally shrugged, "I don't know. My instincts told me to have the orb placed here and wait, so I wait…"

After 30 minutes or so, as the sun set, Felicia finally entered the black doorway, before Inara could stop her, "Wait, you don't know what's….down here?" Inara was stunned! She looked at shimmering walls, blocks long! Room after room met her eyes, doors everywhere! She wandered slowly, her mouth wide open, "What the…" and heard Felicia off in the distance, "Over here…"

Inara and David found Felicia at a strange double door. The alien letters adorning the doors puzzled both Inara and David, but Felicia easily translated, "This is a special inner sanctum to the beings who accept the "change" for better or worse." David patted Felicia's thick neck, "Wow, this gets stranger and stranger…"


End file.
